Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Statement by Mr. Petr Iliichev, Chargé d'Affaires, at the Security Council on the situation in Somalia

We are grateful to the briefers for their comprehensive presentations.

The successful conclusion of an electoral cycle in Somalia, including the election of a new bicameral Parliament and a President, are an important milestone in the history of the country. We expect that the new authorities will very quickly focus their attention on ensuring that Somalia continues to move towards national reconciliation, restoring statehood, strengthening the security sector and socioeconomic development.

The first steps undertaken by the new President, namely, declaring a state of emergency and a 60-day amnesty for fighters who have laid down their weapons, make clear the dedication and commitment of the head of State.

We also welcome the signing, on April 17, as an outcome of negotiations among representatives of the states, of the agreement on the national security architecture. In line with the latter, the National Security Council was established, which has the potential of becoming a promising forum for developing collective decisions by the Somali authorities. We believe that that represents a movement in the right direction and  a significant contribution to strengthening national capacities in the area of security.  

Against that background, we are still seriously concerned about the security situation in Somalia, as it remains far from stable. The main reason for that involves the relentless attacks by Al-Shabaab. We also note the increasing activity of that group outside the country. In particular, we note that members of Al-Shabaab coordinate their activities with other terrorist groups in the subregion, thereby undermining security in the Horn of Africa.

Another concern is the worsening return of the issue of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the north-west area of the Indian Ocean. According to the most recent report (S/2017/408) of the Secretary-General, in March and April alone, pirates carried out five successful attacks. Such incidents had previously not been recorded since 2012.

It is obvious that the causes leading to the phenomenon of piracy in the region have not yet been eliminated. There is an obvious connection between it and the drastic deterioration of the socioeconomic situation in the country because of the effects of the drought, while the Somali factions concerned have maintained considerable potential. We therefore note that we need to continue coordinating international anti-piracy efforts, including through the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. We are in favour of maintaining that entity, which has shown its effectiveness. We intend to actively participate in the twentieth plenary session of the Contact Group, to be held in Mauritius in June.

In that context, we believe that it is very important to ensure that the steps undertaken by the international community aimed at improving the capacity of the Somali army and those of the peacekeeping forces of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) be coordinated. We believe that the review of AMISOM’s mandate, which is currently being carried out jointly by the United Nations and the African Union, should lead to the further enhancement of the effectiveness of the work carried out by the African peacekeepers. We agree with the Secretary-General’s assessment that the premature withdrawal of the Mission from the Somalia could lead to the collapse of the security situation in the country.

Our close attention needs to be focused on the dire humanitarian situation in Somalia that has been caused by a combination of the catastrophic consequences of the drought and domestic instability. Millions of Somalis are on the brink of starvation. The forecasts for the near future are far from hopeful. The international community must provide humanitarian assistance to the country as soon as possible and provide its people with the basic necessities of water, food and medicine. 

We attach great importance to the arms and coal embargo against Somalia. We note that those restrictions have proved to be a very effective tool for cutting off the channels fuelling extremist and terrorist forces. We call for further enhancing the effectiveness of restrictive measures. The practice of partially lifting arms embargoes on supplies to the Somali armed security forces has shown itself to be effective.

In the future, Russia intends to continue to take an active part in the development of concerted steps to resolve the crisis and provide assistance to Mogadishu. Our country regularly provides humanitarian assistance to the Federal Government, as well as to Somali refugees in neighbouring countries, through targeted contributions to the relevant funds within the United Nations system. We will also continue to provide free training to Somali civilian cadres.